Chapter X

§ 58. Ailill having gone to his chamber, set his back against the wall.He was disquieted in mind, for he took the difficulty that faced him to befraught with danger. He neither ate nor slept till the end of three daysand three nights. “Coward!” Mève then called him, “if you don’t decide,I will.” “Difficult for me to adjudge them,” Ailill said; “it is a misfortunefor one to have to do it.” “There is no difficulty,” quoth Mève, “forLoigaire and Conall Cernach are as different as bronze andfindruini;[14] Conall Cernach and Cuchulainn as different as findruini and red gold.”§ 59. It was then, after she had pondered her advice, that Loigaire theTriumphant was summoned to Mève. “Welcome, O Loigaire theTriumphant,” she quoth; “it is meet to give thee a Champion’s Portion.We assign to thee the sovranty of the heroes of Erin from this time forth,and the Champion’s Portion, and a cup of bronze with a bird chased inwhite metal on its bottom. In preference to every one else, take it withthee as a token of award. No one else is to see it till, at the day’s end,thou hast come to the Red Branch of Conchobar. On the Champion’sPortion being exhibited among you, then shalt thou bring forth thy cup inthe presence of all the Ultonian nobles. Moreover, the Champion’sPortion is therein. None of the valiant Ultonian heroes will dispute itfurther with thee. For the thing thou art to take away with thee shall be atoken of genuineness in the estimation of all the Ultonians.” Thereuponthe cup with its full of luscious wine was given to Loigaire theTriumphant. There and then[15]he quaffs the contents at a draught. “Nowyou have the feast of a champion,” quoth Mève. “I wish you may enjoy ita hundred hundred years at the head of all Ulster.”§ 60. Loigaire thereupon bade farewell. Then Conall Cernach in likewise was summoned into the royal presence. “Welcome,” quoth Mève,“O Conall Cernach; meet it is to give thee a Champion’s Portion, with acup of white-metal besides, having a bird on the bottom of it chased ingold.” Thereafter the cup was given to Conall with its full of lusciouswine.§ 61. Conall bade farewell. A herald was then sent to fetchCuchulainn. “Come to speak with the king and queen,” quoth themessenger. Cuchulainn at the time was busy playing chess with Loig, sonof Riangabair, his own charioteer. “No mocking,” he quoth; “you mighttry your lies on some other fool.” Having hurled one of the chessmen, itpierced the centre of the herald’s brain. He got his death-blowtherefrom, and fell between Ailill and Mève. “Woe is me,” quoth Mève;“sorely doth Cuchulainn work on us his fury when his fit of rage is uponhim.” Thereupon Mève got up and came to Cuchulainn, and put her twoarms round his neck. “Try a lie upon another,” quoth Cuchulainn.“Glorious son of the Ultonians and flame of the heroes of Erin, ’tis no liethat is to our liking where thou art concerned. Were all Erin’s heroes tocome, to thee by preference would we grant the quest, for, in regard tofame, bravery and valour, to distinction, youth and glory, the men ofErin acknowledge thy superiority.”§ 62. Cuchulainn got up. He accompanied Mève into the palace, andAilill bade him warm welcome. A cup of gold was given him full ofluscious wine, and having on the bottom of it birds chased in preciousstone. With it, and in preference to every one else, there was given him alump, as big as his eyes twain, of dragon-stone. “Now you have the feastof a champion,” quoth Mève. “I wish you may enjoy it a hundredhundred years at the head of all the Ultonian heroes.” “Moreover, it isour verdict,” quoth Ailill and Mève, “inasmuch as thou thyself art not tobe compared with the Ultonian warriors, neither is thy wife to becompared with their women. Nor is it too much, we think, that sheshould always precede all the Ultonian ladies when entering the MeadHall.” At that Cuchulainn quaffed at one draught the full of the cup, andthen bade farewell to the king, queen, and household all.